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High school football: Scott Evans' hard-work approach paying off for his son Jordan Evans

Jordan Evans' father, former OU and Edmond star Scott Evans, made young Jordan do hundreds of pushups a day before he let him play football. The early lessons are paying off for Jordan, now Norman North's defensive star at linebacker.

When Jordan Evans was in about fifth grade, he approached his dad about making the move from flag football to tackle.

“I made a deal with him that if he got up every morning before school and did his pushups and sit-ups, he could give it a try,” Scott Evans said. “My dad didn't let me start playing football until I entered sixth grade and I kind of held Jordan back for similar reasons. He was young and just not physically very mature.”

HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL / MUG: Norman North football player Jordan Evans poses for a photo during The Oklahoman's Fall High School Sports Photo Day in Oklahoma City, Wednesday, Aug. 15, 2012. Photo by Nate Billings, The Oklahoman

The approach paid off for Scott, who turned into a star defensive lineman at Edmond and then OU before being drafted in 1991 by the Cardinals.

Now, it's paying off for Jordan.

The younger Evans is leading Norman North into Friday's Class 6A quarterfinal game against Broken Arrow as the Timberwolves' defensive star at linebacker and also a potent offensive threat as a wildcat quarterback. He also returns kicks.

Jordan did the exercises; 150 and then 250 pushups a day just for the chance to play the sport.

“It taught him a lesson that there's a lot of work that goes into football six, seven, eight, nine months before you actually play in a game,” Scott said.

While Scott brought along Jordan through his early development as a player, Wade Standley and his staff at Norman North have pulled him even further.

That started with a position switch from cornerback not long after Standley arrived two years ago.

“I thought he looked like a linebacker,” Standley said. “He's just worked his tail off to make himself an outstanding football player.”

The admiration is mutual.

“He and the coaches that came in made us better, not just as a whole but each of us individually,” Jordan said.

From a distance, some of the resemblances between Scott and Jordan aren't clear.

Jordan plays linebacker, while Scott played on the line.

Jordan doesn't draw attention to who is dad is and Scott isn't much to draw attention to himself.

Also, Scott is white and Jordan is bi-racial.

“It's something, where if someone sees me from far away and they know who my dad is, they might not notice it but up close, it's pretty clear we look alike,” Jordan said.

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Ryan Aber has worked for The Oklahoman since 2006, covering high schools, the Oklahoma City RedHawks, the Oklahoma City Barons and OU football recruiting. An Oklahoma City native, Aber graduated from Northeastern State. Before joining The...